A Hanyou's Fate
by Lil' Signing Angel
Summary: Hanyous are being hunted and captured by humans for an evil purpose. 10 year old Inuyasha is no exception. After the horrible things he is put through, will he ever be able to trust humans again, especially one who is trying to help him?
1. Being Different

A/N: Welcome! I hope you will enjoy my new fic and please don't forget to review! Arigato-gozaimashita (Thank you very much) formal bow  
Warning: Rated for language and angst (later on).

A Hanyou's Fate

"Ha-ha? Why am I different?" The young child as his mother. The mother and child sat peacefully together besides a small pond. A few fish swam up cautiously, hoping to catch a few bits of food which were being tossed in. "Is there something wrong with me?"

"Inuyasha, there is nothing wrong with you." His mother said reassuringly.

"Then why won't the other children play with me? Why do they throw stones when I walk by? Why do they call me a…a…" Inuyasha strained to remember the name that had been shouted at him so many times before, "a hanyou?" Inuyasha's mother shuddered as her only child repeated the word that she knew would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"Please, dear, don't repeat that word. His mother said softly. Inuyasha was confused. He pushed a strand of his pure white hair out of his amber eyes.

"But why? What does it mean?"

"Just…please, Inuyasha." She pleaded. Looking up, the young boy saw his mother's eyes filling with tears. His heart began to break. He couldn't stand to see his mother cry. The adorable white ears atop hi head twitched in anxiety. They always did that when something was wrong with either him or his mother.

"Alright, Ha-ha. I promise. I won't say it again." Giving him a soft smile, his mother pulled him into her embrace.

"You're special, Inuyasha. Don't let anyone tell you different."

2 Years Later:

"Did you hear? That hanyou's mother dies last night."

"Died, huh? He probably killed her."

"Can't control youkai blood, even if it is mixed with a human."

Inuyasha, now 9 years old, sat hidden behind the branches of that large tree near the center of the village, not far from the home he once shared with his mother. He couldn't stand being inside it anymore. Too many feelings. Too many reminders of the only one he ever loved; the only one who ever loved him.

Now, the people who had made fun of him and refused to accept him all his life were walking though _his_ home and 'paying their respects' to his deceased mother. She had been quite ill for the past month, so when she finally passed on, no one was very surprised. Her death was assumed to be from the illness, but that didn't mean the rumors didn't reach the young boys ears. The whispered words of 'murder' 'slaughtered' and 'evil youkai' were all too easily heard by the lad.

"What's going to happen to him now?"

"Where's he going to go?"

"We can't just let him stay here, can we?"

Inuyasha bowed his head even lower, if that was physically possible. It was times like this that he wished he couldn't hear as well as he did. Heart broken tears rolled down his cheeks and dripped silently onto his favorite red haori. His mother had made it and given it to him for his birthday only a few months earlier. His ivory-white hair fell around his face, hiding the pained expression that could have caused anyone else to break down.

'They're right', he thought to himself. He couldn't just stay there, could he? He didn't want to stay in that house anymore, but where would he go? He had no other family, except an older ½ brother who Inuyasha had only met one time, when he was very young. But he didn't where he was or if he would even take him in. He had never met his father or anyone from his family. In fact, he had never met anyone from his mother's family either. He had always asked why but never was given a truthful answer. The truth of the matter was his mother's family disowned her when they found out that had fallen in love with a youkai. They wanted nothing more to do with her or her child, Inuyasha. So what now?

Suddenly, he sneezed softly, making sure to dampen the sound so no one would know his hiding place. Someone was talking about him. His ears slowly began to swivel around, searching for the source of a hushed voice. No, it wasn't just some_one_; a group of someone's. Glancing down from his perch, he looked to see who was there. Inuyasha had always taken pleasure in climbing this tree, especially y when he knew full well that his mother hated it. She was always afraid of him falling and hurting himself. Not matter what height he was at, though, he always landed perfectly when he leapt back to earth.

As quietly as he could, Inuyasha shifted positions so that he could get a better view of the ground underneath him. Nothing there, but the scent of people lingered very near by. Moving around the tree, climbing from branch to branch, he finally found what he had been searching for. On the opposite side of the tree was a group of village children; the same children that Inuyasha had attempted to play with on countless occasions and was rejected by just as many times. Focusing on them more closely, he listened in to what they were saying.

"What do you think'll happen to him?" One boy in a blue haori asked the rest of the group. A few others simply shrugged their shoulders. One boy dressed in a green and black haori made of very fine material finally spoke.

"Well, I hope they kick him out of the village. He doesn't belong here." Most of the kids around him looked around nervously.

"Watch what you say, Reiji. _He_ might be around." Keiichi, the boy in the blue haori said in a loud whisper. He had a look of anxiety on his face as he glanced around again, hoping the strange, white haired boy wasn't near by.

"So what?" He's just a dirty hanyou." The entire group let out a unison gasp. None of them have ever used that word before. Their parents used it all the time when referring to the half youkai child, but they themselves never uttered it. Few knew it's true meaning but even fewer dared speak it, especially when there was the chance of 'the kid' hearting it.

"Careful Reiji…" Keiichi started but was quickly silence by the rustling of leaves and a low growl above his head. Everyone one looked up just as a red and white blur began to fall from the startling height of the tree. With his head bowed so that his face was hidden behind a curtain of white hair, the blur finally came to rest in a crouched position in the center of the group. Another low, menacing growl was heard behind the shield of hair.

Very slowly, Inuyasha began to stand up. Time seemed to move in slow motion for everyone in the group, who were all frozen with fear and unable to flee. When he was finally standing erect, although he was a bit smaller then some of the older boys in the group, his proud and somewhat frightening appearance made him seem to tower over the others.

"Why'dja stop?" He asked curiously, glancing around the circle. No one answered. Raisin one hand, so that his razor sharp claws shone in the bright full moon light, Inuyasha bent his fingers to that his knuckles cracked threateningly. "Didn't your parent's teach you that it's not nice to call people names?" No one replied.

"You're one to talk about parents." Reiji finally spoke after a few minutes, which had caught everyone off guard. He was attempting to control his shaking voice, not wanting the others, especially Inuyasha, to know how scared he was. "Your evil youkai Oto-san ran off with his tail between his legs, leaving you and your dirty slut of a Oka-san…" He paused for half a second, watching the white haired kid's stunned reaction. "You can't get any lower if you end up mating with a youkai. Everyone said she died from illness but we all know the truth; that you killed her, you filthy little hanyou."

Reiji didn't have time to say anything more, because before anyone cold do anything, Inuyasha leaped on top of him, swinging his arms wildly. A few of the younger boys in the group took off running to their homes to get reinforcements (a.k.a. to tell their parents) while the older boys attempted to pull the crazed half youkai off their friend. After some trough minutes of struggle, 6 large adult men and a couple of women raced out of their homes and to the group of children. The older boys were still struggling to keep the wild, white haired kid at boy, while another was helping Reiji get out of the line of fire.

"What in the hells is going on here?!" The larges of the men demanded, causing everyone to freeze where they stood. Even Inuyasha stopped struggling to look up at the man. He was huge! His broad shoulders were accented by a black and green haori and a long sword that hung from is belt labeled him as the chief of the village. He bore a striking resemblance to Reiji, who was now being helped to his feet.

"Oh my poor boy!" A woman in the slowly growing crowd cried out and raced forward to the injured lad. He had cuts all of over his arms and chest, his nice haori now held deep rips and holes and his face was quickly showing signs of bruising, especially around his right eye. Slight traces of blood were seeping through the fine material of his clothing.

"Who did this to you?" Reiji's mother asked urgently, not daring to let go of her son.

"He did it!" Reiji shouted pointing to Inuyasha was still being subdued by the other boys. "Just jumped out of the tree and attacked me!"

"Why you lying bastard!" Inuyasha howled, using all the strength he had to escape his conqueror's grips.

"YOU!" The chief bellowed, causing everyone to hold their breath. "What have you done to my son?!" He demanded, stalking to Inuyasha. Glaring up at the man, Inuyasha began to explain what had _really_ happened but was quickly silence by a heavy, rough hand landing on his right cheek. The force of the impact sent him flying from out of his captors grasps and sprawling onto the ground.

"Serves you right you nasty hanyou!" The man sneered down at the boy, who was slowly getting himself back on his feet. As he watch as Inuyasha finally got to his feet, though a bit unsteadily, the man's arm began to shake with rage. "I never should have allowed your and your betraying mother to remain here. I should have thrown both of you out the moment I found out about her little 'rendezvous' with that foul _youkai_." He said the last word with a heavy tone of disgust.

"Take it back." Inuyasha said in barely more then a whisper. His hand were clenched in fists so tightly that his claws dug into his own skin, drawing blood. But he didn't care; his anger took over his senses.

"What was that?" The chief demanded.

"Take back what you said about my parents!" Inuyasha shouted at the top f his lungs. He was so angry, that without thinking, he lunged at the large man, red stained claws bared and ready to strike. What he hadn't counted on was the man's reflexes. The next thing he knew, he was once again face down in the dirt. Before he could brace himself, a sandaled foot connected with is stomach with so much force, that it pushed the boy at least 2 feet farther from where he had landed. Gasping for air, Inuyasha curled up in a ball to protect himself from another attack.

"Get out of here, hanyou." The chief snapped, turning his back on the boy. "If I see you in this village again, you'll have more to worry about then just my foot." He added over his shoulder before turning back to that still gathering crowd. "If anyone so much as looks kindly upon that _thing_, they will be kicked out of this village faster then they can blink. Wakarimasuka?" The group that had gathered nodded silently before turning to leave. One of the chief's neighbors had taken Reiji into his arms and was gently carrying him back to his home, with his mother still crying and refusing to let go of her son's hand.

Once everyone had returned to their own homes without so much as a second glance at the boy, Inuyasha slowly began to get up in a sitting position. Leaning back against the tree had had jumped from, he attempted to return his breathing to normal.

"Damn…chief." He muttered between strained breaths, rubbing his right cheek. "I don't need him or anyone." Quietly, and with some difficulties, Inuyasha returned to his 'home'. He took out a simple red bag, that he would use to collect stones and trinkets he found when out with his mother, and began filling it with provisions. He packed some food, his extra haori and a blanket. Before leaving for the last time, he returned to his mother's room.

He could still sense her here. The smell of cherry blossoms; her favorite flower, tempura; his favorite food, and sake; which she would always serve to anyone who came to visit. She was always such a woman of honor and respect, no matter who the rest of the village treated her. Kneeling down besides her bed, he lowered his head, said a silent prayer then bowed down before her, his hand flat on the floor in front of him.

"I love you, ha-ha." He whispered. "Sumimasen. I'm sorry for what I'll have to do. I will never forget you. I swear it." And with that, he left his home and took off into the forests, making a silent vow as he went, that he would never allow himself to rely on someone else ever again. Because he knew, they would end up hurt or worse. He had to rely on himself for everything now and there was nothing else to it.

A/N: I hope you like it so far. It's going to take a while, but will pick up soon, I promise. Thanks for reading!

:: AouraMaiden ::

Japanese Translations:

Ha-ha: Mother (referring to your own mother)  
Hanyou: Half-demon  
Haori: Japanese outfit  
Youkai: Demon  
Oka-san: Mother (referring to someone else's mother)  
Oto-san: Father (referring to someone else's father)  
Wakarimasuka: Understand?  
Sumimasen: I'm sorry


	2. Memories and Poision

A/N: Here's another chapter for you. Enjoy and don't forget to review please. Arigato!

A Hanyou's Fate

It had been just over a year since 'that night' and the now 10 year old Inuyasha sat contently on the branch of a tree; leaning against it's trunk with his arms folded over his chest and his legs crossed in front of him. There wasn't a single person around for miles and the only even remotely close to it was a few birds that fluttered and sang above him while the wind whistled gently. It was another peaceful day in the forest and nothing could have made him happier.I

No. That wasn't exactly true. What would have made him really happy would have been sitting, not in a tree, but in his home with is mother happily sitting beside him. Smiling her brilliant smile as she server him his favorite meal, always prepared with love. He sighed heavily. He couldn't get her out of his head. No matter what he did, he couldn't forget her.

But he knew he didn't want to forget her. She was the only one who truly cared for him and now that she was gone…

'Stop it.' He scolded himself. 'Stop bringing her up!' He knew he had to move on with his life, but still refused to let go of her memory. Sighing in defeat, he decided to do something to get his mind off it. What could be more fun then a quick hot spring soak? Deciding that it would do him good, he began to race through the trees to get to his destination. Where was the fun in running along the ground when you could do it this way?

Within a few minutes of arriving, Inuyasha had stripped down, hid his clothes in a little 'cave' he had found near the spring and jumped in. Sitting down on a rock, he soaked in the warmth with a pleasured grin on his face. His wet hair was plastered to his forehead, covering his eyes, so he ran his claws back across is scalp, making his smiled broaden. Closing his eyes, he leaned back and let his body slip down into the water until it reached his neck, just under his chin.

"Nothing beats a nice hot spring soaking." He murmured to himself. Sadly, this bliss was short lived. The scent of angry men, steel and blood was rapidly approaching. His ears twitched from the shouting. His nose took in the strong smells which caused him to jerk out of his present state of happiness and leap to his feet. Looking around, his amber eyes focused on the direction where the men would, any minute now, come crashing through the brush and charge him. By the time the men got there, Inuyasha had already jumped from the spring, tossed his clothes on and leapt up into a near by tree.

"Where is he?" One man demanded. He was rather short with a haori the color of blood and a long spear in his left hand. His hair hung loosely on his head, covering a good portion of his face. Only his cold eyes could really be seen. The way the other 4 kept a slight distance and only murmured their responses, anyone could tell that he was their leader. Each man, apart from carrying some sort of weapon, ore a pendant that bore the kanji for youkai on either side of it and a lighting bolt between them. Around the outside of them was the inscription _'Life is reserved for the strong'._

"He was just here, sir." One man responded, careful not to speak too openly.

"Then why isn't he still h ere?" The leader shouted in response.

"I…I don't know, sir." The man answered, slowly backing away and out of the leaders reach.

"Well, he couldn't have gotten far. Find him!" The leader ordered, pointing his spear at his followers threateningly.

"Hai." They replied in unison and each took off in a different direction. The leader remained standing beside the hot spring, glancing around suspiciously. Inuyasha dared not move from his hiding place Even though he knew he could easily slice the man in two, his mother's smiling face suddenly flashed before his eyes, causing his thoughts to change.

'Iie,' he told himself, 'she wouldn't want you to.' So with a silent sigh, he continued to watch the man as he slowly walked around the spring, poking his spear into a bush or the leaves of a tree every so often. Inuyasha's wet clothes clung to his body, making him feel very uncomfortable and the fact that these men were obviously looking for him didn't help.

'Can't he just get out of here so I can dry off?' He thought bitterly.

"We can't find him, sir." One man said as the group finally returned, empty handed.

"How hard could it be to find a stupid youkai?" The leader shouted. The grip on his spear tightened and his hands began to shake with anger.

"Keh." Inuyasha spat to himself. 'Stupid youkai? I'm twice as strong as these guys and probably 10 times as smart!' "Who's he calling stupid?" He asked aloud, although he didn't realize it until it was too late. Taking in a quick breath, he prayed to the gods that the men didn't hear him. Unfortunately, the gods were not with him at the time because before h e knew it, there were shouts and spears being thrown at him. Jumping from branch to branch, he raced through the trees, knowing there was no way that those 'humans' would be able to catch him.

Suddenly, something nit into the back of his right leg, just under his knee. The pain seared though his leg, which buckled under the weight of his body. Grabbing onto the nearest branch, Inuyasha dug his claws into the thick wood, stopping him before he plummeted to the ground. Heaving himself up onto the branch, Inuyasha examined his injury.

"Damn! What the hall was that?" He asked himself, peering into the hold his haori pants now held so that he could examine him injury. Something had but him, leaving a nasty gash about 3 inches long just below his knee. The area surrounding the wound was already beginning to change color, a sign on poison. "Damn it." He swore again. His mind was so focused on what had just cut him, he completely forgot about men who were pursuing him, the ones who had down this to him.

He watched the color of his skin quickly change from a healthy light tan, to a dark, sickening gray. He could feel whatever it was coursing through his body. It burned in hid veins and Inuyasha could feel himself slowly sub coming to the poison.

"Come on, fight it." He ordered himself. "You can't let them get you." But as these thoughts ran through his head, the poison finally reached the part of him that controlled his balance and the poor kid began to tumble from the tree. Landing on the ground with a less-then-graceful 'thud', Inuyasha attempted to get to his feet and continue his escape. Sadly, he found this more difficult then he had expected. Not only did the cut cause him to not be able to put any weight on his leg, but also, the poison was slowing him down completely. His head was feeling heavy and his vision was slowly beginning to blur.

"Got him!" A voice called out. The vibrations of 5 sets of feet running towards him could be felt through the forest floor. Inuyasha dragged himself over to the tree and leaned back against it. Breathing was quickly becoming very difficult. The men had finally caught up and soon had surrounded him. He felt very vulnerable and he hated feeling that way.

"This is the thing that you incompetent idiots had so much trouble catching?" The leader spit at his men, who all bowed their head and muttered replies. The man in red casually strolled over to Inuyasha and glared down at him. Giving him a quick look ever, he laughed a short, cruel laugh.

"He's just a hanyou and a kid no less." This comment was dripping with despise, his words made Inuyasha both enraged and hurt at the same time. Was he never going to be free from the hatred? Was he never going to be able to lice in peace because of his heritage? He wanted nothing more at that moment to lunge at the guy and dig his claws into his chest. Too bad he could hardly lift his arm from the ground, much less attack anyone.

"Not so fast now, are you, little hanyou?" One man leaned over and snarled in the boys face. Bearing his fangs, Inuyasha happily spit right in the guy's eye, who pulled back in surprise. "Why you dirty little…" The man raised him empty hand and brought the back of it down across Inuyasha's cheek. It quickly began to turn red but there was nothing he could do about it. The poison had claimed most of his body, leaving him almost completely analyzed and at the mercy of these men.

"That's enough Taku." The leader said the man quickly backed away.

"Hai, Kanaye-sama." Taku said, averting his gaze and whipping a bit of saliva off of his cheek.

"What the hell do you want with me?" Inuyasha demanded. The one named Taku took a threatening step forward, hand raised to strike Inuyasha again, but Kanaye put his hand up and Taku stopped dead in his tracks.

"Now is that any way for a kid to talk to an adult?" Kanaye asked in a sickening soft voice. "Didn't your parents teach you respect for your elders?" At the mention of his parents, Inuyasha snapped. With what little strength he had left, he heaved himself to his feet, relying on the tree for support, and snarled.

"I'll kill you!" He shouted as he pushed himself off the tree and at the man clad in red. He was going to wipe that smirk right off the guy's ugly face. His body in its current state could hardly support him long enough to make it the 6 feet to the man, but he didn't care. The man, easily seeing the boy's futile attempt at an attack, slyly sidestepped him, allowing him to fall face first into the dirt.

"You best save what energy you have left, little hanyou." The man said sadistically. "Trust me; you'll need every ounce you've got."

"Nani? What do you mean?" Inuyasha inquired, rolling over so that he was now on his side staring up at the man. This took more energy the he had intended and it left him even weaker the before. What did these guys have planned for him?

"Oh, you'll see soon enough." Then, looking at his followers, he added, "Where are the restraints?"

"Here, Kanaye-sama." Another man said, stepping forward and holding up a sack. Whatever was inside of it was obviously made of metal, because as the bad was held up, clinking sounds could easily be heard. This made Inuyasha a bit nervous but had no intention of letting his captors know it.

"Excellent." Kanaye said before turning back to Inuyasha with another sadistic smile. "Now, it's time for your nap, little guy." His voice sent a chill down Inuyasha's spine. As he approached the immobile kid, Kanaye reached into a pouch that hung from his belt and pulled out a small vile and a piece of cloth. Pouring a bit of the liquid from the vile onto the cloth, the replaced the cap and knelt down next to his prisoner.

"Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit." He muttered as he placed the cloth over Inuyasha's sensitive nose and mouth. The boy fought back as best he could, but found it nearly impossible to do anything to prevent the inevitable. Kanaye put his free hand behind Inuyasha's head to keep him steady. After a moment r so, the young boy finally stopped moving completely. His golden eyes fluttered shut and his breathing, though a bit difficult in coming was steady as if he had simply fallen asleep.

"Finally." Taku said through clenched teeth. "I didn't think a kid could be this much trouble.

"You should know better." Kanaye said as he returned the cloth to his pouch and got to his feet. Brushing the loose dirt from his haori pants, he approached him men, who all took a half step back. "Nothing is simple when we are dealing with wild hanyous." Glancing back at the unconscious boy, he smirked. "You have to wait until they are broken. After that…there's nothing to it." The others nodded. "Get him bound. I want to be back at the compound by sunset. Wakarimasuka?" He ordered before stalking off.

"Hai, Kanaye-sama." All four of his companions chorused in unison before heading off to do their hired jobs. Poor Inuyasha wouldn't wake up for another day and when he does, he would wish that he hadn't.

A/N: Oh, poor Inuyasha! What are they going to do with him? Where are they taking him? Well, I know the answer to that, but sadly, you will just have to wait to find out. Please review and tell me what you think. The more reviews I get, the more I'll be inspired to write! Arigato. Ja'mattane!

:: AouraMaiden ::

Japanese Translations:

Hai: Yes  
Hanyou: Half-demon  
Haori: Japanese outfit  
Iie: No  
Nani: What?  
-Sama: Lord (title of respect)  
Wakarimasuka: Understand?  
Youkai: Demon


	3. Waking Pains

A/N: Ok, I know I'm pushing these chapters out fast (which is a good thing). Sadly, I am going to be slowing down a bit (which is a bad thing). The mini-disk that had all my work and updates on it got corrupted and I lost everything! (NOT A GOOD THING!) So I have to go through and try to re-write everything. This story and another one were not on the disk so they got saved. I will post them, just so people have something to read, but that means that my other stories will take a while to be updated. Please enjoy and thank you for your patience.

Calyne: Thank you. Yes, I don't think people write enough FanFic's about Inuyasha's past. Even though this is an AU, I'm trying to keep it as accurate as possible, (well, as accurate as an AU can be ). Thanks for reading and keep checking for updates!.

Carol J: Yep, it would probablly just be easier to keep an eye on this one to see where it's going

A KnightofNi: Wow, I got 2 'verys' on the very first chapter! I hope I can keep up with your expectations! Keep reading and you'll find out what happens to our little hanyou friend.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed! And now, on to the Fic! Yay!

A Hanyou's Fate

Pain. That was the first thing that came to his mind when he began to regain consciousness. Slowly, Inuyasha began to open his eyes. It was still very blurry but he could immediately tell that he was no longer outside. He was lying on something cold and hard. He head pounded and he strained to remember what had happened to him.

Ok, he had woken up that morning and gotten his breakfast from a near by tree. Right. He wandered around the forest a little bit but nothing caught him as interesting. Right. So he went back to his tree to relax a bit. Right. Then, he started thinking about his mother and how much he missed her. Right. So, he decided to take a nice soak in the hot spring to ease his mind. Right. He got to the spring, hid his clothing and got in. Right. He was just starting to relax when…

That's when it all came back to him. Those men! They had snuck up on him while he was in the spring. Then, when he ran, they shot him in the leg with something and cornered him. Then, the leader had put that cloth with the foul smelling stuff over his mouth. That was it. He must have blacked out after that.

"Damn them." He muttered with some difficulty. He mouth felt dry and like it was stuffed with cotton. He swallowed hard and found that was even more difficult the speaking. As his eyes began to focus, he was slowly able to study his surroundings. A low ceiling was above him and hard walls were on either side. The ground under him was hard and cold. He could feel bits and pieces of straw under and around him. His sensitive nose scrunched up as his inhaled deeply and found how foul the air around him was. He would have to breathe through his mouth for a while, but even that didn't put his mind at ease.

"Where am I?" He asked himself, attempting to pull his still weak body into a sitting position. This turned out to be more difficult then anticipated because, as he tried to prop himself up on his elbows, cringing from the strain on his already sore muscles, they suddenly gave out and he fell backwards, hitting the back of his head on the hard floor under him.

"OW!" He growled as he reached up and rubbed the back of his head to try to dull the pain. His eyes were squeezed shut as he bit down on his bottom lip, almost to the point of drawing blood, so as not to cry out loud. That's when he heard it; footsteps. Heavy footsteps and they were coming closer. Before he knew it, the sound stopped and was replaced with hard breathing. The air around him suddenly became even more foul then it was before.

"So, finally decided to wake up, huh?" A sinister voice sneered. Inuyasha lifted his head slightly and could see a wired door in front of him. An extra large man, who took up almost the entire door way, stood on the opposite side of the 'gate' glaring down at the boy with evil narrowed eyes.

"What are you doing to do with me?" Inuyasha demanded, hauling himself backwards until he found the wall opposite the door. Then, with some of the strength he had regained, he leaned himself against the wall and pulling himself up, so that he was finally sitting up. This way he could see the man, face to face.

"Don't worry about that now." The man answered. "Just be more concerned with staying alive until you're needed." Inuyasha looked at him with eyes of awe and fear.

"Staying alive?" He repeated. "What do you mean? Why am I here?!"

"What's going on here?" A second voice asked. It was then that Inuyasha realized that there was another man there, standing just out of his sight he mentally kicked himself for not sensing him earlier; his senses were still clearing up after being dulled by whatever was used to make him pass out.

"The most recent arrival just woke up." The large man explained, turning slightly to his left. Sniffing the air, Inuyasha realized that the other man was the leader from before; Kanaye! The guy who had drugged him the day before! Or was it the same day? He didn't have the slightest idea, since he had no way of knowing how long he had been knocked out.

"Well, good morning, little hanyou." Kanaye said in a sickening tone as he stepped into Inuyasha's line of vision. His clothing had changed. Now, instead of wearing the somewhat tattered, red hunting haori, he was dressed in a very fine, black haori with purple stripes. His hair was slicked back, exposing two scars on the right side of his face; one following his jaw bone and the other parallel to it across his cheek. They were well healed over, so they were obviously quite old, but what had caused them? Some sort of animal? What would have attacked him like that?

"You gave us quite a lot of trouble yesterday, and it wasn't appreciated." Kanaye explained, his stance proud and strong.

"Why--?" Inuyasha started to ask about his reasoning for being there, but was cut off.

"Why are you here? Is that what you were going to ask?" Kanaye finished for him. Inuyasha growled, becoming more and more irritated with this guys arrogance. "You'll find out, but all in due time." He added to Inuyasha before turning to the other man. "What have you learned about our little _friend_ here?"

"Nothing yet, Kanaye-sama. As I said, he just woke up." The other man answered respectfully.

"Alright then. Report to back to me once you have his information." Kanaye ordered. "Wakarimasuka?"

"Hai." The man replied with a small bow. With that, Kanaye glanced once more at his captive and waked off. Inuyasha listened until his footsteps were even out of his ear shot. That's when the other man turned back to face the boy. Pulling out a small ring filled with keys, he selected one and placed in the lock of the door. He also reached up and pulled something from the doorframe and put it in his pocket. Inuyasha didn't get a good look at what it was, but it didn't really concern him. He was busy making plans to escape. As soon as he opened the door, Inuyasha would charge the man, force his way out and run like his life depended on it (which it did) to freedom.

What he hadn't counted on was that the man took up the entire doorway and had to enter the small cell by turning sideways. This was going to put a small damper on his plan, but that didn't discourage him. He would get out, one way or another. Once inside, the man reached back into his pocket and placed a piece of paper on the inside door frame. Then, turning back to Inuyasha, he gave a nasty smile.

"Let's get this over with." He muttered under his breath. Inuyasha was thinking the same thing. "So what are you?" He asked as he pulled out a small piece of paper.

"Nani?" Inuyasha asked, not understand the question. What was that supposed to mean; what are you?

"Baka hanyou. What are you? Part neko or something?" The man spat, obviously annoyed at the 'lack of cooperation'.

"I'm an inu-youkai!" Inuyasha shouted, slowly pulling himself up the wall so that he was standing, using the wall as a support. He leaned heavily on the wall, but also, on his left leg. I he put any more pressure on his injured leg, it would most likely give out from under him and he would loose his chance to escape! The man, watching him struggle to stand up, laughed, long and coldly.

"An inu-youkai?! That's a good one. You look more like a scrawny neko-hanyou." Inuyasha growled deeply, flexing his claws, but this only made the man more amused. "So, you're going to purr at me then try to use me as a scratching post? Is that it, little neko?"

"I'm an inu-youkai!" Inuyasha repeated. The man, sighing with frustration, walked up to the boy and glared down at him with disgust.

"You're hardly worth to be called a hanyou. Probably the runt of the litter." He sneered. Looking down at the paper, he decided to move on. "Alright, how old are you?" Was the next question on his list. Inuyasha still had no idea what the purpose of all these questions was or what they had planned for him, but he decided that he wasn't going to give them any more information.

"Did you hear me, hanyou?!" The man shouted. Inuyasha looked up at him and growled. Quickly loosing patience with this kid, the man brought the back of his hand across Inuyasha's cheek, sending him tumbling to the ground.

"Ow." Inuyasha hissed in pain to himself, as he tried to get back on his feet. His leg hurt even more now and Inuyasha was starting to doubt that he would be able to escape in this condition. But what ever happened, he couldn't let them see his pain, no matter what.

"You gonna answer me now?" The man snarled. Inuyasha raised his head up and snarled right back at him, bearing his fangs menacingly.

"Enough of that." The man snapped, pulling his foot back and let it fly forward, connecting with the young boy's stomach. The force of the kick pushed the boy back at least 3 feet from where he had originally landed on the hard ground. Gasping for air, Inuyasha curled himself into a protective ball, pulling his knees into a chest and putting one arm over his head.

He had tried to be strong and fight back but he was slowly loosing the battle. His stomach was cramped from both the blow he received and the lack of food. He hadn't eaten in, what would be now, 2 days, and he was starting to feel its effect. Also, even through he was half youkai, the poison they used was obviously designed especially for them because by now, his leg should have been healed. Who ever these guys were, they knew what they were doing when it came to youkai.

"I've had enough of you." The man sneered. Backing away from Inuyasha, he kicked a bit of dirt at him for good measure. "Let's jus see if you feel like talking later." He said before turning to exit the cell. Before he did, he pulled the piece of paper off the door frame and replaced it in his pocked. He then left the room, locked it behind him and placed the scrape of paper on the outside of the door.

"Baka hanyous," Inuyasha heard the guy mutter as he walked off, "they never learn. Too bad _I'm_ the one who has to teach them respect." After that, there was only the sound of footsteps. About 15 minutes later, Inuyasha had pulled himself back into a sitting position against the wall. He was breathing heavily and holding his bruised side. Why was it that everyone felt they had to knock him down, then kick him?!

"Kami," he prayed, closing his eyes and leaning his head back so that he was facing the ceiling, "Ha-ha. I need you. I tried. And I'm going to keep trying. I will not let them control me. I won't." With this promise, Inuyasha slowly fell back into the unconsciousness of sleep as the exhaustion of everything that had happened finally caught up with him.

A/N: There you go. Anyone figured out what they are going to do with him yet? 10 Bonus points to the first person to get it!! Don't forget to review! Happy Writings!

:: AouraMaiden ::

Japanese Translations:  
Baka: Stupid  
Ha-ha: Mother (referring to your own mother)  
Hai: Yes  
Hanyou: Half-demon  
Haori: Japanese outfit  
Inu: Dog  
Kami: God  
Nani: What?  
Neko: Cat  
-Sama: Lord (title of respect)  
Youkai: Demon  
Wakarimasuka: Understand?


	4. The Waiting Game and It's Rewards

A/N: Yes, I'm back! I know, I know, It's about damn time, right? Well, all I can say is enjoy this chapter and please don't hurt me for taking so long to update!

_A Hanyou's Fate_

A few hours later (or at least that's about how much time seemed to have passed), Inuyasha woke up again. He was not as surprised by his surroundings this time as much as he was the last, but that still didn't mean he was prepared to accept the situation at hand. Sighing, he slowly sat up and looked around again. His strength had returned, for the most part and the only thing slowing him down now was simple fatigue and the pain that still stung his leg. It was not as harsh as it had been before but the dulled pain was still there, hindering him.

The cell, like when he had fallen asleep, was empty of any other occupants. The only thing Inuyasha noticed was a simple, chipped up, wooden bowl in the corner. He assumed, by seeing this that they were planning on feeding him at some point and not just letting him starve. Though, this was still just an assumption.

Speaking of starving, his stomach growled, reminding him that it has been neglected. He didn't want to admit it, but at this stage in the game, he would have taken just about anything, even if it was offered by those stinking humans. Shakily, he got to his feet and limped over to the corner where the bowl lay. He picked it up and gave it a through examination. There were some old remains of _something_ left on part of the outer edge and lining the bottom of it.

'Well,' he thought, 'I could always go back to my original plan. When I hear him coming, I'll be ready. As soon as that door opens…BAM!' Inuyasha slammed his fist into his palm, as if demonstrating his elaborate plan. He smirked. 'That baka human won't know what hit him.'

So that was his plan, and, in theory, it would have worked. That is, if the guard had returned. Inuyasha sat there all day long, staring at the door; his body rigid and ready to spring. His senses were all on high alert, searching for any sign of the approaching man. The entire day passed without so much of a hint that he was coming. As the weaning crescent moon shone outside as night fell and slowly, so were Inuyasha's defenses. His ready-to-pounce crouch had transformed into a careless lean against the wall and his senses, once so sharp, were weakening. These both occurred for probably the same reason; he was starving. Inuyasha hadn't eaten anything since the morning he was captured, which meant he was going on day 3 without food. The poison that had seeped into his system not only had increased his appetite but also lowered his energy level. He sighed for the 5th time in 10 minutes since there was nothing else to do.

"Where IS he?" He wondered aloud. His stomach growled angrily, protesting the lack of nourishment it had been receiving. Inuyasha placed one hand over his empty midsection, feeling the vibrations through his shirt. Finally, he couldn't control his anger anymore.

"HEY!" He shouted at thee top of his lungs. He waited a few seconds for a reply before continuing on. "Why in all the hells am I here! You have NO right to keep me here! You bastards, let me go!" Breathing heavily, Inuyasha tried to gain control of himself. His entire body was shaking uncontrollably. Just when he thought it was over; that he was going to die in this hell-hole all alone, he sensed it; the guard was coming! He tried to get himself back into his attack position but fail and weakly toppled over just as the door swung inward, revealing the guard who had questioned him the day before. He stood in the room, the door closed and stuck with another small slip of paper behind him, smirking at the boy below him.

"So, you about ready to talk?" He asked innocently.

"Go…to…hell." Inuyasha ground out between clenched teeth. He was beginning to feel sick to his stomach, but knew if he got sick, nothing would come up and that was worse then getting sick with something IN your stomach. He attempted to steady his breathing which would in turn, he hoped, settle his stomach.

"Awww…do we still have _that_ attitude?" He mocked. Inuyasha let out a weak growl which seemed to have no effect on the guard what so ever. "Well, maybe you'd be more willing to talk if you had something to eat, ne?" At this point, all of Inuyasha's senses perked back up again. His ears began to swivel excitedly and his sensitive nose searched for any sign that the man was lying, and, surprisingly enough, he couldn't find anything of the sort. What he did pick up, though, was the scent of food. He couldn't quite tell exactly what it was nut it smelled eatable and that's all that mattered. The guard noticed the sudden change in the kid and was smirking even more broadly now.

'Baka hanyou. They fall for it every time.' He thought. Now it was time for some fun.

"I'll take that as a yes then?" He asked aloud. "Well, we'll have to see if we can arrange that." He then pulled out the slip of questions he was reading from the prior day. "Oh, gomen ne." he said after a minute of studying the paper. "We can only feed our REGESTERED 'guests'." He said this last word with a sort of dignity, as if it was an honor to be there. Inuyasha, though, was too in shock to notice. His eyes grew wide with disbelief.

"W…what do you mean, registered?" He asked shakily as the man turned to leave.

"Well, we can't feed just ANYONE here. We are a prestigious establishment" He played these words like a toy, knowing how far from the truth they were. "If we don't have your information, how do we know WHO you are or WHAT to feed you?" He said as innocently as possible, which wasn't very effective. Inuyasha looked at him with an expression that showed he was having an internal debate with himself.

Was this human telling the truth? If he told them what they wanted to hear, would they feed him and, hopefully, let him go? Could he be trusted? Inuyasha contemplated these and other thoughts all at once. Then he thought, 'Or is this just some wick joke to get me to talk?' By this time, he was getting too lightheaded and nauseous to put anymore thought into it.

"Oh well. I have others to visit. One's who are already registered and are expecting their dinner." The guard concluded, returning the slip of paper to his pocket and turned to the door.

"Ch…chotto." Came a weak call from the floor behind him. The guard turned around and looked questioningly at the boy.

"Hai?" He asked as if he had no idea what Inuyasha was going to say.

"W…what…" Inuyasha was still unsure of his decision but kept telling himself if he was going to build up enough strength to escape, he was going to need something to eat. "What do you need to know?" He finally got out in a defeated tone, dropping his head in shame of his weakness.

'Bout time he broke.' The guard thought.

"Let's start from the top." He said, taking out his trusted list again. "What's your name?"

"Inuyasha." He replied.

"INU-yasha, huh? So who was it?" Inuyasha glanced up, not understanding what the guard meant. "Was your old man a mutt or your mother the bitch?" He laughed. "She was probably a bitch either way." This comment pushed Inuyasha to his limits. How dare he say such a thing about his mother!

"My father was a very powerful inu-youkai!" Inuyasha defended, although he had never had the chance to meet his father. The only things he knew about him was what he had been told by his mother. "And, I'm warning you, NEVER say anything disrespectful about my mother again." His face was getting redder by the second as the blood rose in anger. Other then that though, nothing else changed about the boy and the guard noticed this immediately.

"How old are you?" He asked in a more serious tone.

"I'm 10. Why the hell does that matter?" Inuyasha ground out, still very upset about the comments made regarding his mother.

"Only 10?" The guard commented, making a cross on his paper. "Too young." He muttered under his breath while shaking his head.

"For what?" Inuyasha asked. The guard looked up but said nothing. "Too young for what?" He asked again. If he was going to have to answer their questions, then he was expecting to get answers in return. The guard, though, was still not responding. Instead he was too busy thinking about what to tell Kanaye-sama. Inuyasha was finally fed up with being ignored. "HEY!" He barked.

"Shut up, you worthless hanyou!" The guard finally snapped, shooting a kick at the boy. Luckily, though weakened, Inuyasha was able to roll out of the way, avoiding contact with the man's foot. Instead the foot met the wall behind him and the guard howled in pain.

This was it; Inuyasha's chance to escape. Struggling to his feet, he summoned every ounce of energy left in him and ran for the closed yet unlocked door. 'I'm going to make it!' He thought just as he reached for the door. But, as he put his hand out to pull it open, his body was suddenly wracked with pain. Shocks of energy coursed though him and sent him flying backwards away from the door. Inuyasha yelped in pain as he hit the floor and began whimpering as the horrible feelings continued through him. The guard, who had regained his composer, watched everything and let out a cold, hard laugh when the boy cured into a protective ball, shielding himself from the invisible tormentor.

"That's what you get." He explained harshly.

"W…what was that?" Inuyasha asked, his eyes blurred with pain and tears.

"Youkai trapping scrolls work wonders on baka hanyous." He said smugly.

"Youkai trapping scrolls?" Inuyasha repeated. He had heard someone in his village once say, when they thought he wasn't around, that they should cover his home with 'binding scrolls' so that he could never get out again. At the time, Inuyasha couldn't understand how a scroll was supposed to keep him inside but now it all made sense. These scrolls obviously were made for youkai, or in this case, hanyous as well and created a barrier that they could not cross.

"You think something as pathetic…as a scroll…is going to stop me?" Inuyasha asked slowly.

Suddenly, just before the guard REALLY lost his temper with the young hanyou, the door swung open, causing Inuyasha to jump and the guard to growl in annoyance. Who dare disturb him?

"What!" He shouted over his shoulder. A second later, the door closed with a 'thud', announcing the disturber. Looking as important as ever, Kanaye-sama stood, observing the situation before deciding to comment on it.

"What is going on here?" He demanded in a cool yet strong voice, sending a hard glare at the guard. Both boy and man made direct eye contact with the rooms' newest arrival.

"Oh! Kanaye-sama! Gomen-ne!" The guard quickly humbled.

"What is going on here?" Kanaye asked again.

"This little runt tried to make a run for it." The guard explained. "Good thing we had these." He added, reaching into his pocket and pulled out an extra scroll. Kanaye looked down at the pitiful boy before responding.

"And what, exactly, did you think you were doing?" He asked Inuyasha directly in a tone that a mother used with her child when they were caught doing something they weren't supposed to do. For a second, Inuyasha wasn't sure weather to bow his head in shame or bite the man's head off for daring to speak to him that way. "You'll answer me when you're spoken to, hanyou."

"My name," Inuyasha started, attempting to raise himself up from the ground, "is NOT hanyou!" The guard's hand twitched to slap the boy senseless, but Kanaye did nothing. He simply stared at the boy with undivided attention as he managed to get himself on his feet, shakily trying to maintain his balance.

"Ah, then what is it then?" He asked, making him sound as interested in the answer as possible. The guard looked at him and scratched his head. What was Kanaye-sama doing talking to the hanyou like that? Inuyasha was almost asking himself the same thing. He still wasn't sure what to make of this whole situation and was very hesitant to answer.

"Inu…Inuyasha." He finally got out, watching the leader with both weary and angry eyes.

"Inuyasha." Kanaye repeated aloud. Shooting a look at the guard, he took in a deep breath, pulling himself taller with a most arrogant air about him. "What else do we know?" He asked, speaking as if the boy was not even present in the room. The guard blinked, taken a bit by surprise by Kanaye's calm reaction to the situation.

"Uhh well, he's half dog and…he's only 10 years old, Kanaye-sama." The guard looked down at his notes and noticed the initial mark he had made. Kanaye seemed un-phased by this, though, in his mind, he was reeling over it.

'He did look rather small.' He thought to himself. 'I'm surprised I didn't see it before. But then again, it's always so hard to tell with these half-breeds.' Coming out of his thoughts, he turned to address Inuyasha once again. "Would you like something to eat?" Inuyasha didn't know whether to respond or not. Why was he suddenly acting so nice? What was his plan? When he received no reply, Kanaye simply shrugged and turned to the guard.

"Leave him just enough for the day. We can't have him dying from starvation when he's only just arrived."

"Hai, Kanaye-sama." The guard replied with a quick bow. Inuyasha watched on with shocked eyes as the guard took the chipped bowl from the corner, exited the room with it and returned half a moment later; the once empty bowl now half filled with some sort of liquid. Placing it on the ground at his feet, just out of Inuyasha's current reach, the guard stepped back and nodded at Kanaye, who returned the gesture, acknowledging to a job well done.

"We'll just leave you to yourself now." Kanaye announced, motioning to the guard follow him as he turned and walked proudly from the room. The guard did as ordered, closing the door behind him and placing, not one but two, trapping scrolls on the doorway.

Inuyasha sat there, frozen in time for the moment being. Did what he think just happen, really just happen? He kept his glare stuck on the door, just waiting for the pair of men to come bursting in and start up with the questions again. But they didn't. Finally, when he was convinced that he was going to be left alone, he slowly made his way over to the bowl, which still sat on the ground; a few small droplets of its contents clinging to the side.

Reaching out, he gently lifted it up, careful not to spill a single drop of it. Raising it up to his face, he cautiously breathed in the fumes that emitted from the bowl. He couldn't sense anything that was dangerous, or sent up warning flags for him NOT to eat it. So, without a second hesitation, he dove into the meal at hand, devouring the entire contents of the bowl. Inuyasha couldn't say it was the most appetizing thing he ever had, but it was something to put in his stomach and that's all that mattered. He had to regain his strength before he could even think of getting out this hell hole.

A/N: I'm sorry! Gomen ne! Sumimasen! Scusi! Rubs fist over heart (This is sign language, by the way). Um…Yeah, that's all the languages I know how to say I'm sorry and please forgive me for not updating. I lost all of my updates and started 3 new stories recently. I lost the inspiration for this one for a while and now have it back. I hope you are still enjoying it and please review. Maybe with some reviews, I'll get some more inspiration hopeful look

Japanese Translations:

Baka: Stupid  
Chotto: Wait  
Gomen ne: Forgive me  
Hai: Yes  
Hanyou: Half-demon  
Inu: Dog  
Ne: Questioning ending to a sentence  
Sama: Lord (Title of respect)  
Youkai: Demon


End file.
